Funeral Set For Slain NY Cop

Published at9:20, May 08 2015

SEAFORD, N.Y. — As many as 30,000 police officers from across the United States are expected to pay their respects at the Long Island funeral May 8 for a young New York City police officer slain on patrol.

Officer Brian Moore, who lived in nearby North Massapequa, died May 4 after being shot in the head while on duty two days earlier in Queens. The 25-year-old and his partner had stopped a man suspected of carrying a handgun when the man opened fire on them.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo was among the mourners attending the officer’s wake on May 7. “It’s a terrible tragedy,” Cuomo said afterward. “It’s an awful, frightening reminder of the sacrifice so many men and women in law enforcement make.”

Moore had been on the force for only a handful of years, but he had already built up a record of more than 150 arrests and had earned meritorious service medals. He was the son, nephew and cousin of New York Police Department officers.

The suspect in Moore’s killing, Demetrius Blackwell, faces charges including murder, attempted murder and other crimes. He is being held without bail and has not entered a plea. His attorney has denied the charges.

Moore is the second alumnus of Long Island’s Plainedge High School to be killed in the line of duty while working for the New York Police Department in the borough of Queens. Edward Byrne, a 1984 alumnus, was a 22-year-old NYPD rookie when he was killed Feb. 26, 1988.

Both officers had resided on the same street in North Massapequa, where blue ribbons adorned many trees and utility poles in memoriam.

Police were preparing for a massive contingent of officers, including from Canada, at the funeral at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Seaford. Anticipated road closures forced one local school district to cancel all May 8 classes.